Related papers: The evolutionary status of Cataclysmic Variables: …
Using photometric ULTRACAM observations of three new short period cataclysmic variables, we model the primary eclipse lightcurves to extract the orbital separation, masses, and radii of their component stars. We find donor masses of 0.060…
(Abridged) We present high-speed, three-colour photometry of seven short period (Porb <= 95 mins) eclipsing CVs from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We determine the system parameters via a parametrized model of the eclipse fitted to the…
We present high-speed, three-colour photometry of the eclipsing cataclysmic variables CTCV 1300, CTCV 2354 and SDSS 1152. All three systems are below the observed "period gap" for cataclysmic variables. For each system we determine the…
Although the theory of cataclysmic variable (CV) evolution is able to explain several observational aspects, strong discrepancies have existed for decades between observations and theoretical predictions of the orbital period distribution,…
We present a binary evolution study of cataclysmic variables (CVs) and related systems with white dwarf accretors, including for example, AM CVn systems, classical novae, supersoft X-ray sources, and systems with giant donor stars. Our…
We report on the masses ($M_\mathrm{WD}$), effective temperatures ($T_\mathrm{eff}$) and secular mean accretion rates ($\langle \dot{M} \rangle$) of 43 cataclysmic variable (CV) white dwarfs, 42 of which were obtained from the combined…
We reconstruct the evolutionary path followed by cataclysmic variables (CVs) from the observed mass-radius relationship of their donor stars. Along the way, we update the semi-empirical CV donor sequence of Knigge (2006) and present a…
Using improved, up-to-date stellar input physics tested against observations of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs we calculate the secular evolution of low-mass donor cataclysmic variables (CVs), including those which form with a brown dwarf…
We use an independent new sample of cataclysmic variables (CVs), constructed by selecting objects for Halpha emission, to constrain the properties of the intrinsic CV population. This sample is restricted to systems that are likely to be…
We present the results of a systematic study of cataclysmic variables (CVs) and related systems, combining detailed binary-population synthesis (BPS) models with a grid of 120 binary evolution sequences calculated with a Henyey-type stellar…
Secondary stars in cataclysmic variables (CVs) follow a well defined period-density relation. Thus, canonical donor stars in CVs are generally low-mass stars of spectral type M. However, several CVs have been observed containing secondary…
We present high-speed, three-colour photometry of the eclipsing dwarf nova PHL 1445, which, with an orbital period of 76.3 min, lies just below the period minimum of ~82 min for cataclysmic variable stars. Averaging four eclipses reveals…
More than 20 pre-cataclysmic variable (pre-CV) systems have now been discovered with very short orbital periods ranging from 250 min down to 68 min. A pre-CV consists of a white dwarf or hot subdwarf primary and a low-mass companion star,…
We present high-speed, multicolour photometry of the faint, eclipsing cataclysmic variable (CV) SDSS J105754.25+275947.5. The light from this system is dominated by the white dwarf. Nonetheless, averaging many eclipses reveals additional…
According to standard evolutionary theory for cataclysmic variables (CVs), angular momentum loss drives CVs to initially evolve from longer to shorter orbital periods until a minimum period is reached (\approx 80 min). At roughly this…
Recently, large and homogeneous samples of cataclysmic variables (CVs) identified by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) were published. In these samples, the famous orbital period gap, which is a dearth of systems in the orbital period…
We give an updated version of the analytical equation of state used in the Cambridge stellar evolution code (STARS) as a free to use open-source package that we have used to model cool white dwarfs down to temperatures…
The mass-loss rate of donor stars in cataclysmic variables (CVs) is of paramount importance in the evolution of short-period CVs. Observed donors are oversized in comparison with those of isolated single stars of the same mass, which is…
Although a large number of orbital periods of cataclysmic variable stars (CVs) have been measured, comparison of period and luminosity distributions with evolutionary theory is affected by strong selection effects. A test has been…
We construct a complete, semi-empirical donor sequence for CVs with orbital periods less than 6 hrs. All key physical and photometric parameters of CV secondaries (along with their spectral types) are given as a function of P_orb along this…